


Inspiration

by flowerfan



Series: Season 6 Reaction Fics [22]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Prompt Response, Season 4 sort of too, Season 6 Reaction fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lia knows Blaine Anderson is gay.  She does.  But he's just so perfect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> _Response to Prompt #37 from todaydreambelievers, incorporating the last two parts: (AU or Canon compliant) There is no way there wasn’t at least one non glee girl at McKinley (or “tadpole gay” for that matter) with a crush on Kurt. I want to know what they saw when they silently watched him. Or maybe it was a freshman with a crush on Blaine his senior year? Or a student with a crush on one of the “hot new teachers” in season 6?_

She goes to see McKinley's production of _Grease_ all four times, even the matinee on Sunday where the auditorium is filled with elementary school kids. She may have even stopped by the public library earlier in the week when they were doing the preview. But she’s not drooling over Ryder Lynn, like all of her girlfriends are. Or that Jake kid, or even the hot girl that’s playing Rizzo – apparently a college student who came back just for the role.

No, Lia Zhang has the misfortune to be in love with the most perfect Teen Angel ever to croon -- Blaine Anderson, who combines sex appeal and gentlemanly charm in an intoxicating mix that she simply cannot resist.

She’s knows he’s gay, she does. Everyone does, it’s no secret. But he’s so perfect. He’s the most perfect boy she has ever met. He’s patient with her when he meets her for after-school tutoring, bolstering her confidence even though she is practically failing history. He doesn’t pity her when she stumbles over words in the textbook, and brings his friend Sam Evans in one afternoon to talk to her about how he handled his dyslexia (and oh, Sam is cute too, but nowhere near as dreamy as Blaine). He’s free with his thoughts, easily complimenting her and encouraging her, and pushing her to think about her life and what she wants to get out of it.

He’s nice to Lia outside of tutoring, too. Blaine says hi to her in the hallway every time he sees her, even though she is just a lowly freshman, and he is senior class president. She thinks about trying out for Glee, but she can’t even carry a tune, and with the trouble she has reading words, she isn’t sure that trying to learn to read music would be a good idea. Plus her mom needs her to babysit most days, and wouldn’t want her to commit to all those rehearsals.

Still, she ponders the club sign-up sheets, wondering what she might do to spend more time with Blaine. It’s ridiculous, but being with him makes her happy. She knows he’s not going to be her boyfriend. That’s not what she’s after.

It’s a week after Grease is over that Lia runs into Blaine on the way to tutoring. Usually he’s there ahead of her, waiting patiently in the astronomy classroom that gets used for peer tutoring on Thursdays. But today she nearly trips over him as she rushes down the hallway. He’s sitting on the floor, his back against his locker, looking at his phone.

He glances up at her when she starts apologizing – for what, she isn’t quite sure – and his smile takes just long enough to spread across his face that she realizes he isn’t actually happy at all. He pushes himself up and makes small talk with her as always, but when they are in the middle of a discussion about changes in industry and employment after World War I he fades away. Lia doesn’t want to bother him, doesn’t want to make him regret agreeing to this tutoring thing in the first place, so she doesn’t say anything. But more than anything, dapper, cheerful, charming Blaine Anderson looks desperately sad.

By third quarter Lia’s grades have improved and she doesn’t qualify for free tutoring anymore. While she’s happy about her academic improvement, she misses her time alone with Blaine. There’s a rumor going around that he’s dating another girl from glee club, but then it comes out that the girl is just crushing on Blaine. Some people say she even assaulted him, but from the way they continue to walk arm in arm down the hallway, Lia thinks that can’t possibly be true. 

The end of freshman year is approaching, and Lia’s history teacher approaches her with a proposition. He’s impressed with her dedication and the progress she’s made during the year. He’s apparently also the orchestra teacher, and all their viola players are about to graduate (they only had three, but whatever). He thinks she should give it a try. He even tells her he can get her a scholarship to take lessons over the summer. Lia starts to list through all the reasons she can’t possibly do it, but then she hears Blaine’s voice in her ear, going on about how live music is the best thing in the world, and making music opens you up to joy, and how when he feels down, he knows he always has music to help him through it. So she says yes.

By her junior year, Lia is not only the viola section leader (they still only have three violas, but whatever) but she also plays with the New Directions orchestra whenever they need accompaniment. She still thinks of Blaine Anderson from time to time, usually when she gets so caught up in playing a particular piece that she feels that joy running through her veins, and remembers the encouragement of the handsome boy who helped her so much freshman year.

It’s after a practice with the New Directions that she nearly trips over a music stand when she sees Blaine come into the auditorium. He is looking just as handsome as ever, wearing a plaid shirt and a striped bowtie (Lia has encouraged her younger brother to branch out into the world of preppy fashion from time to time, but he never carries it off as well as Blaine). She soon learns that he’s back from college, coaching another school’s glee club. The New Directions seem confused, but that isn’t anything new, so Lia just goes with the flow and enjoys the moments that Blaine joins them. 

Blaine comes up to her after practice one day, smiling sunnily at her and holding a hand out. “May I?”

Of course he plays the viola, Lia thinks, blushing as she hands her instrument over. He explains that he’s really a violin player, but if you just think of it this way… she stops paying attention to his words as he fiddles away, making the instrument sound far more nimble than she ever does. 

It turns out that Blaine is back in Lima because he got kicked out of college, which seems impossible to Lia. Jane, who’s in the New Directions, says that Kitty Wilde says it has something to do with Mr. Hummel, who Blaine used to be engaged to, and who is now coaching the New Directions with another alum. Lia was never in school with Mr. Hummel, and neither was Jane, and no one they actually know well enough to ask seems to be able to unravel the threads that tie these people together. Lia decides not to let it bother her.

One day at practice, however, Blaine seems decidedly unsettled. He’s folding and refolding some kind of chart, biting his lip hard enough to make it redden. She gathers up her courage and approaches him after most of the kids have left. “Want to grab a coffee?”

To her amazement, Blaine agrees. Lia has only recently gotten her driver’s license and permission to drive others too, and so offers to take them to the Lima Bean. She is thrilled when Blaine accepts, taking special care to watch where she is going, check her rear view mirror, and obey the speed limit. It wouldn’t do to get Blaine hurt on the way to get coffee.

Almost an hour flies by. Lia had intended to give Blaine a chance to talk about what was bothering him, but he deftly turns the conversation around, asking Lia about her classes, the viola, what she might be interested in doing after high school. Finally she takes advantage of the slightest pause in the conversation to blurt out “are you okay?” Blaine looks surprised, but then purses his lips and takes a moment before answering. “Not completely, but I think I’m getting there.”

Things get busy at school as the orchestra prepares for its winter concert. Lia is asked to play in a string quartet, and with those rehearsals piled on top of everything else, she misses a few New Directions meetings. The quartet is scheduled to play at the public library the weekend before Christmas, and Lia remembers going to watch Blaine sing “Beauty School Dropout” there years ago. She wishes she had time to have coffee with him again, but the semester is coming to a close and every minute she doesn’t spend practicing viola she is doing her homework and studying, knowing how important her junior year grades are when it comes to college applications.

The snow is coming down hard the night of the winter concert, and Lia would be disappointed at the thought of her mother not being able to make it if she had any bandwidth left to worry about anything at all. She throws herself into each of her performances, and she thinks the orchestra sounds better than it ever has before. When it is time for the quartet to perform, she grins at her fellow players, and they launch themselves into two spirited pieces and then one chosen specifically to show off her increasing skills. It’s exhilarating.

Putting her instrument away backstage, she is surprised to hear a familiar voice. Blaine is standing there holding out a bouquet of flowers, grinning from ear to ear. He’s wearing a sharp looking suit and so is the man standing next to him, who Lia quickly recognizes as Mr. Hummel. She briefly wonders if they are on their way to a fancy dinner party, but it soon becomes clear that they had braved the storm just to see her perform tonight.

“I’m so proud of you,” Blaine says, his face so open and earnest that it nearly breaks her heart. Turns out he’s moving back to New York City after the holidays. She tries not to let her disappointment show on her face – guess she should have tried harder to schedule that second coffee. Blaine continues, explaining that he wanted to see her before he left town. “I know you’re going to be a great musician, Lia. You’re an inspiration.” She blushes, but it gets even better. “Make sure to look me up if you ever come to New York,” he says, “or if you need a place to stay when you are interviewing or auditioning.” 

Mr. Hummel nods along with Blaine, taking his hand. “Our guest room is always open for Blaine’s friends,” he says, giving Blaine a sweet glance.

Well. Isn’t that something. Maybe she doesn’t have to say goodbye to Blaine Anderson after all.


End file.
